Venues We Fish

There are hundreds of tench venues across the UK, encompassing commercial and day ticket venues, club waters and syndicates. The Tenchfishers feature here some that we visit regularly. We are also pleased to say that these fisheries support us by accommodating our Fish Ins and Exclusive Bookings. Unless stated as day ticket access, joining will be dependent upon permit availability.

Please check fishery websites for updates.

Renowned for its specimen carp Linear fisheries is also home to some fine tench. Comprising nine lakes, there are five in particular that will be of interest to the tench angler. In no particular order these are: St Johns, Manor Farm, Oxlease, Hunts Corner Lake and Hardwick Smiths.  All of these venues have seen tench over 10lb captured and all present you with an interesting challenge. Linear is a busy venue, so not one to set your heart on a particular lake or swim! These lakes can be very weedy so you need to take time to find a spot where you can present your bait effectively. Tench are caught in the margins and fishing out to known features here. Traditional baits like red maggot and worm are very effective.  Feeders and helicopter hook rigs are on the favourite list but an inline lead and PVA bag is a handy approach for weedy swims where a feeder can just be a weed collector. Bearing in mind you will catch carp here too, a mainline of 10lb is appropriate and you might want to update the rod test curve to the 1.75lb.2lb test curve level.

The fishery offers a secure site ( gates are locked at night), excellent facilities  ( toilet/shower block) and a well stocked tackle and snack shop. You will be assured of a warm welcome by Chris Blunt and his team. Members have the opportunity to fish two exclusive dates at this fishery during prime tench time in May/June.

Tenchfishers Rating: 5 stars

The Jewel In The Crown of the Carp Society venues for the tench angler!  A beautiful and secure 60 acre lake set in the heart of the Cotswolds and offering some of the best specimen tenching in the locality. Tenchfisher members have captured superb tench to 11lb+ over the years . The lake is known for it’s two distinct areas. Summer Bay is the shallow arm ( depths 3-4 feet) so favoured by the tench angler.  Winter Bay is the deeper lagoon but also home to some fine Tincas also.  To fish the venue you will need to be a current Carp Society member (£25pa) and then you will have access to day tickets which you can purchase at the onsite shop/office. For current permit availability please contact the Society.  This is a beautiful lake where fish stocks can be very mobile so it pays to have a good look around before setting up. The tench are not all in Summer Bay and the top of the Trout Bank and high number Witney Bank swims also hold fish. This has you fishing in deeper water whereas Summer Bay is shallow and some years, very weedy. All the traditional methods work well here both leger  and float. Red maggots and worms are the “go to” baits. The site has excellent facilities with a shop, secure entry and a shower/toilet block(s). The management (Miles and Karl) welcome all tench anglers. In fact The Tenchfishers have their National Fish In at this venue every year and many members fish the venue in the Spring.

Tenchfishers Rating: 5 stars

Club angling represents the best value in our sport and FAS are no exception. They have 14 lakes plus the Yateley Complex so you will not be short of venues! The Tenchfishers have some favourites here too. famous venues like Frensham Great Pond and Yateley Mill Lane come to mind. Great tench venues but then you must also consider Badshot Lea and some of the smaller ponds for some classic float fishing.

The Tenchfishers visit Mill Lane every year for a fish in during May, where we always receive a warm welcome from Club Secretary, Ian Gray.

Nearby you have the famed Yateley Complex that includes venues like the South and Match lake. All these lakes contain tench and there is a chance for some pioneer angling here too. Traditional tench methods work well on these venues and the smaller venues offer some excellent float fishing. Expect to catch tench from 4lb right up to specimen weight ( over 8lb).  These fisheries are well looked after and baillifed.  Please ensure you frequent yourself with all the rules before fishing. Club books can be purchased online via the Society’s website.

Tenchfishers Rating: 5 stars